1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pumping systems, and more particularly to portable, battery-powered pumps that include solar-cells for photovoltaic recharging and water-proof cases suitable for use around a boat.
2. Description of Related Art
Water pumping and pressurized water are often needed far away from any available source of utility power. So it has become quite common for water pumps to be operated by gasoline motors, generators, and even batteries. Recent advances in photovoltaic device technology have also made it possible for rather modest solar arrays to affordably keep a bank of storage batteries fully charged for water pumping. Many water pumping applications do not require continual pumping, so batteries are used to supply the peak electrical demands and solar panels are used to charge them over the long-run. Such systems are very common in remote homes and aboard off-shore sailboats. A few, light-duty portable water pumping systems have even been marketed, but these generally do not provide the water pressures needed to scour a boat clean, or the volumes needed for other washing applications boaters may have. High pressure systems are needed to clean off-road vehicles and race cars before and after use.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,104, issued Jul. 19, 1994, to David Marcus, describes and illustrates a portable outdoor mister that is housed in a box 12 with solar panels 50 on a lid 14. A battery 46 inside has a switch 66 to interrupt power from the solar panel 50 and another switch 64 to control a water pump motor 44. A suction line 18 draws-in water to a pump 42 inside the housing 12. An output hose 26 provides high pressure water. FIG. 1 of Marcus shows the system on-board a boat with the suction line drawing water from the body of water the -boat is floating on.
U.S. Pat. 5,569,998, issued Oct. 29, 1996, to Thomas Cowan, describes a solar water pumping system that uses 50-60 watt 12-volt photovoltaic panels. A storage battery 15 is connected through to a pump 18. A diode sensor 12 prevents back voltage flow from the battery to the solar panel 10 when there is no light. The battery is described as being preferably a lead-acid gel-type, and for a 10-watt photovoltaic panel 10, a 7-amp hour battery is appropriate. The motor and panels are sized so that the pump can run continuously during the day while sunlight is available. A DC-switcher type power supply 17 is used to deliver a constant 12-13.5 volts to the pump, no matter how discharged the battery becomes.